The use of subtitles for Barney is so hard to understand

Why is it that other regions of the UK seem to find such difficulty understanding the Northern Ireland accent? The producers of the BBC's Countryfile programme decided to use subtitles when elderly Bellaghy blacksmith Barney Devlin was interviewed at the weekend.

Why is it that other regions of the UK seem to find such difficulty understanding the Northern Ireland accent? The producers of the BBC's Countryfile programme decided to use subtitles when elderly Bellaghy blacksmith Barney Devlin was interviewed at the weekend.

Is Barney's accent more impenetrable than that of a Geordie or a Liverpudlian or someone from Somerset? Northern Ireland is often called a place apart, but it's not so far removed from the rest of the UK that we cannot be understood.

Or is it just the Derry accent that grates? Remember the criticism of Nadine Coyle.